LA Halloween Weekend in the Rain: Where to Go, When, and How to Get Home

Darlings, the calendar has been generous and the sky has not. Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, so the night is literally an hour longer, and a storm is scheduled to arrive just as Los Angeles puts on its wigs. Here is the plan, by the hour, all times Pacific.

The forecast, read like a guest list

The rain is confirmed; the timing is not. FOX 11 forecasts a 10 to 20 percent chance of light showers Thursday night into late Friday, about 40 percent on Saturday, and the best chance of rain on Saturday night, with showers possibly lingering into Sunday before sun returns Sunday afternoon and Monday. Most of the basin could see a third to half an inch; the eastern San Gabriels, about an inch. “There are some question marks on when it arrives and when the heaviest rain will be,” FOX 11 meteorologist Adam Krueger said.

The official word, hour by hour. The National Weather Service zone forecast issued at 6:55 a.m. Wednesday for downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and Beverly Hills calls for a 20 percent chance of showers Saturday afternoon with highs around 70, then “A chance of showers in the evening, then showers likely after midnight,” with a 70 percent chance Saturday night and lows in the upper 50s. Sunday drops to 40 percent; Monday is sunny. The beach zone carries the same 70 percent for Saturday night.

Even the forecasters admit the suspense. CBS Los Angeles quoted the Weather Service directly: “There is very high confidence that it will rain during the weekend, but low confidence on onset timing and peak timing.” Translation for the well dressed: the early evening is your best window, and the hours after midnight belong to the umbrella.

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Plan A: indoors, in costume, with a curtain time

An opera with a cash prize. LA Opera brings Hercules vs Vampires to the United Theater on Broadway, 929 S. Broadway, on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m. Patrick Morganelli’s live score plays against Mario Bava’s 1961 film with Reg Park and Christopher Lee; the show runs one hour and 15 minutes with no intermission and is sung in English with subtitles. Saturday includes an afterparty and costume contest: 10,000 dollars for first place, 2,500 for second and 500 for third. Contestants must be 18 or older, and costumes must be made by you or modified by at least 30 percent. Mind the house rules: no full-face masks, no real, replica or prop weapons, no coat check, and bags no larger than 12 by 12 inches. As the company puts it, “Audiences are encouraged to come in costume.”

A coven on Wilshire. The Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., hosts Museum After Dark on Saturday, a goth-themed after-hours party for adults 21 and over: 45 dollars, or 40 for members, though the party was listed as sold out when we checked on Wednesday. Check-in runs 6:30 to 8 p.m. (after 8, entry is not guaranteed), with after-hours access to The Horror Show from 7 to 10 p.m., tarot, palm and astrology readings from 7 to 9:30, and an 8 p.m. talk on horror makeup effects with Ken Diaz. At 10 p.m., the museum screens The Craft (1996) for its 30th anniversary, with Robin Tunney, Rachel True and writer-director Andrew Fleming in person; screening-only tickets start at 5 dollars. The museum’s dress code is our favorite sentence of the week: “We want to see your hauntingly glamorous costumes.”

Plan B: the street, before the showers

The big one is free. The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval runs Saturday from 6 to 11 p.m. on Santa Monica Boulevard between N. Doheny Drive and N. La Cienega Boulevard, with a DJ stage at San Vicente. No tickets, no drinking on the street, and only clear plastic bags; backpacks, camera cases and totes are not permitted, nor are weapons, fireworks or drones. Visit West Hollywood recommends leaving kids and pets at home. Note the happy accident of the schedule: the Weather Service’s steadiest rain is forecast after midnight, an hour after the Carnaval officially ends.

Getting there without a car. The free WeHo Halloween Ride replaces regular PickUp and Cityline service on Oct. 31, running from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. along Santa Monica Boulevard between N. La Brea Avenue and N. Kings Road, and select vehicles connect to the Hollywood/Highland Metro station from 6 p.m. to midnight. The city’s own advice is the only advice: do not drive after drinking. Text halloween to (323) 848-5000 for the city’s updates.

Plan C: dry, sober and still dressed

Reddit has been workshopping it. On r/AskLosAngeles, a visitor asking for Halloween plans that skip drinking and parties drew a quick reality check from one commenter: “Do you think the rain is going to affect this?” The suggestions that followed were charming: the Toluca Lake neighborhood decorations, haunted houses around Burbank, and Reign of Terror in Thousand Oaks, recommended precisely because it is indoors. In a second thread, one local offered the evergreen warning, “Traffic is insane on Halloween,” while another recalled Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank, where “Most everyone was in costumes, including the staff.” And for the Carnaval faithful: “No drinking necessary, just good shoes because parking is a challenge.”

The Nightlife Report rain checklist

• Go early. The forecast favors the evening over the small hours; plan your big entrance before 11 p.m.
• Waterproof the look. Seal makeup, pack a compact umbrella that fits a 12-by-12 bag, and choose shoes that can survive a wet boulevard.
• Leave the prop sword at home. LA Opera bans prop weapons outright, and the Carnaval bans weapons too.
• Enjoy the bonus hour. Clocks fall back at 2 a.m. Sunday; set your ride-home alarm by the new time.
• Ride, don’t drive. Use the free WeHo Halloween Ride or Metro; wet streets and a long night are a poor combination.
• Check the forecast again Friday. The Weather Service itself has low confidence on timing, and the last update before the weekend is the one to trust.

Prefer a party with a door and a dance floor? Code Red is our Halloween pick; tickets are below. However the sky behaves, dress as if the cameras are waiting, because on Halloween in Los Angeles they always are.

Sources

1. FOX 11 Los Angeles: LA weather, Halloween rain (Oct. 27, 2026)
2. CBS Los Angeles: Southern California’s Halloween weekend rain preview (Oct. 26, 2026)
3. National Weather Service Los Angeles: Zone Forecast Product
4. LA Opera: Hercules vs Vampires
5. LA Opera press release: LA Opera battles the undead with Hercules vs Vampires
6. Academy Museum: 30th Anniversary of The Craft
7. Academy Museum: Museum After Dark
8. Visit West Hollywood: West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval
9. City of West Hollywood: West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval
10. Reddit r/AskLosAngeles: Fun things to do on Halloween in LA that don’t include drinking/partying?
11. Reddit r/AskLosAngeles: Any non-party ideas for Halloween?

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